Tempus Fugit, or “time flies” in Latin, was a radio and television show created by former WRAL President and General Manager Fred Fletcher.
The radio show began on WRAL-AM around 1940 when Fletcher – tired of having to fill in for morning announcers who failed to show up – took over the morning announcing shift at the station.
Fletcher entertained listeners with a variety of regular features, news, weather, music and fun. He also created special call-in segments like “Lost and Found” and “Trading Post” where listeners would swap items in an on-air exchange program.
The best-known segment on Tempus Fugit was the reading of a fairy tale each morning. The idea came about in late 1941 to entice children to listen to the show in hopes of luring their parents to the radio as well.
Fred Fletcher read the fairy tales live, doing all the different voices and sound effects himself. Within months, ratings went up and by 1945 Tempus Fugit was beating the NBC World News on WPTF-AM. Fletcher’s fame skyrocketed and from that point on he was known to one and all as “The Fairy Tale Man.”
Months after WRAL-TV went on the air in 1956, Fletcher moved his Tempus Fugit Show to television, where it lasted for several more years. The title of the show became the title of Fletcher’s autobiography, which was published in 1990.
Spiritual and religious programs have always been a part of CBC’s broadcast lineup. Here are some of the shows designed to lift spirits and provide comfort to those in need:
“Light for Living” was a long-running series of devotional messages presented on WRAL-TV by Raleigh minister Jimmy Morriss. Reverend Morriss was pastor at St. John’s Baptist Church. In the 1970s he also hosted an inspirational program called “Light Unto My Path” that aired Sunday mornings on Channel 5.
The Sister Gary Spiritual Program was a gospel music show on WRAL-FM that broke racial barriers and laid the groundwork for religious programs that would follow.
The Sister Gary Program premiered as a weekly broadcast on WRAL-FM in in the 1940s. Host Mabel Gary Philpot, or “Sister Gary” as she was known in the pulpit, was the first African-American to host a regularly-scheduled radio show in Raleigh.
Sister Gary came to Raleigh in 1936 to preach at Grace Chapel AME Zion Church in Raleigh. Her powerful preaching drew the attention of WRAL General Manager Fred Fletcher, who recognized her potential as a radio performer. Fletcher signed her up and the show began building an impressive following.
After more than two decades of success on radio, “The Sister Gary Spiritual Program” changed venues and moved over to WRAL-TV in 1969. The new television program aired every Sunday morning from 7:30 – 8:00 and featured Gary’s sister Sandra Byrd and the Wesleyan TV Choir. The transition to television introduced Sister Gary to a larger audience and firmly established her place in the history of gospel music in North Carolina.
Following her death, Sister Gary’s television program evolved into WRAL-TV’s award-winning “Spiritual Awakening.” That gospel music program carries on to this day and is a weekly reminder of the trail blazed by Sister Mabel Gary Philpot.
Spiritual Awakening is a locally-produced gospel music program that evolved out of the legendary “Sister Gary Spiritual Program.” It is one of the oldest continuously-running gospel music shows on the East Coast.
The Sister Gary program began on WRAL Radio in 1942 and made its television debut on WRAL in 1969. After host Mabel Gary died in 1978, the program title changed to Spiritual Awakening, with hosting responsibilities going to Gary’s sister–Sandra Byrd.
In 1989, Ms. Byrd passed the hosting baton to her son, Otis Byrd, a local pastor. Reverend Byrd hosted for more than a decade before giving way to Sonja Hamm, who hosted the show for some five years before turning it over to current host Terence Jenkins in late 2005.
Spiritual Awakening has been produced since 1990 by Dona Anderson–a former programming assistant at WRAL-TV. Dona regularly schedules top regional and national talent to perform and minister to a weekly audience on WRAL-TV and sister station WRAZ-TV.
The show focuses primarily on gospel music, but it has also featured segments on spiritual dance and breast-health awareness. The award winning program can be seen in parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Spiritual Awakening has won the Torchbearers Award for Excellence, presented by the Raleigh/Triangle Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America and also a Community Service Award presented by the Capital City Academy in Raleigh.
